Now that the goals of COP26, the UN climate summit, have been set, how will countries and companies actually implement them? One of Glasgow`s great promises was the promise to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles worldwide by 2040. Six of the world`s largest automakers have signed the agreement. Ford is one of them. Cynthia Williams is The Global Director of Sustainability at Ford. And when I spoke to her yesterday, she admitted that it would be a difficult task. Volvo Cars Ltd., Mercedes-Benz of Daimler AG, the Chinese company BYD Co. Ltd. and Jaguar Land Rover were also among the signatories. Stellantis, Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co.
Ltd., Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., BMW and Hyundai Motor Co. were absent from the agreement. It was one of the first official acts of the new US President Joe Biden, who was inaugurated yesterday at a ceremony in Washington as the 46th US president. It cancels the country`s withdrawal from the agreement under the previous government. Nearly three dozen national governments have also signed the pledge, but auto markets (and producers) as important as China, Germany, and the United States are not. The city of Ann Arbor was also among 40 state and local governments that joined the agreement, including the states of Washington and California. Under the pact, companies and other signatories also agree to target all zero-emission car sales in key markets by 2035. The agreement was reached on Transport Day at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, where world leaders gathered to reflect on ways to decarbonise mobility. WILLIAMS: Well, I`m telling you, Ford`s strategy is to make vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning the most powerful vehicles we have. And so it will take a state of mind. It will need a cultural change.
But I encourage your uncle and other consumers to try the vehicles. These are the most powerful vehicles we build. « The integrated report highlights what we`re doing to achieve our environmental goals, » Cynthia Williams, global director of sustainability, certification and compliance at Ford Motor Company, told ABC Radio. This is critical to the success of all of our key stakeholders as we move forward. I think combining them is the key to success for Ford. But Williams says Ford knows he can`t achieve those goals on his own. Editors Jordyn Grzelewski, Kalea Hall and Breana Noble of the Detroit News contributed. « I started working at Ford in 1979, and now that I think back to my early days in the company, I can imagine that my colleagues weren`t particularly excited about my arrival. I have raised concerns about the environment and the impact our industry has had on it. But even when it was a lonely position in our industry, I knew we had an important role to play.
The statement said the decision is crucial to restoring the United States` role as a world leader. Ford President Bill Ford issued a statement titled « From Detroit to Paris, it`s time to make progress on climate. » VW spokeswoman Esra Aydin told The News on Wednesday morning that the Paris Agreement`s global zero-emission goal was « non-negotiable » and that the company was committed to quickly transitioning its portfolio to battery electric vehicles. MARTINEZ: Well, okay, companies like Ford will also have to rely on the government to make sure the grid can handle the number of cars that need to be recharged. But how confident are you that the U.S. government and the other governments you`ll be working with will be there when you need them to achieve all of this? Ford plans to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from operations by 76% by 2035 based on 2017 emissions and Scope 3 emissions from all of the company`s products by 50%, based on 2019 emissions. The goals are part of the automaker`s first combined financial and sustainability report. Ford says it wants to focus on three main areas to reduce emissions: auto production, business equipment and suppliers. He expects plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles to account for more than 40 percent of sales in the U.S.
and more than 70 percent in Europe. Before the merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and French carmaker Groupe PSA, founded by Stellantis, PSA said it would no longer invest in internal combustion engines. . In June 2020, Ford announced plans to become carbon neutral, meaning the number of emissions released by the company will be reduced or offset by renewable energy, carbon sequestration or carbon credits. Ford is committed to being carbon neutral by 2050. Earlier this year, the Dearborn-based automaker said it plans to electrify 40 percent of its global product lineup by 2030, saying its entire European lineup of passenger cars will be « zero-emission, fully electric or plug-in hybrid » by mid-2026 and fully electric by 2030. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be in Glasgow on Wednesday to participate in discussions on decarbonizing transportation. He is expected to tout the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed late last week, which provides $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations.
NPR transcripts are created within a tight timeframe by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and created using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative recording of the NPR program is the audio recording. MARTINEZ: Well, the new promise, I`ve noticed, includes cars and vans. Does this also apply to Ford`s flagship pickup trucks like the F-150? The two new goals are supported by the Science-Based Targets Initiative, a collaboration between UN agencies, businesses and industry leaders that helps companies set emission reduction targets. « In addition, we believe that an accelerated transition to electromobility must go hand in hand with an energy transition towards 100% renewable energies. Regions that are developing at different speeds and at different local conditions need different pathways to zero emissions. Therefore, the Volkswagen Group, which represents business activities in all major markets around the world, has decided not to sign the declaration for the time being.
WILLIAMS: It`s going to be — I think it`s going to encompass all of that, because once we move to electric vehicles, it`s a cultural shift. And that will require, you know, retraining current workers. .